Hardy Telecommunications is again sponsoring a $2,500 college scholarship for graduating seniors from East Hardy and Moorefield high schools.
Members of the Class of 2021 at EHHS and MHS can apply through Hardy for the national Foundation for Rural Service College Scholarship Program. The scholarship, open to applicants who receive local telecommunications service (either telephone, Internet, or television) from Hardy, is worth $2,000, and Hardy Telecommunications will contribute an additional $500 to the amount, bringing the total one-time scholarship award to $2,500.
The Foundation for Rural Service has changed its application process so that the entire application is done online. Click HERE for the guidelines detailing how to apply. Students will need to go to www.frs.org/student and create an account with NTCA per the instructions there.
Completed applications must be submitted online to the Foundation for Rural Service no later than March 5, 2021.
To apply, students will need to submit a 500-800 word essay; two letters of recommendation – only one can be from a teacher or educator; and seven semesters of transcripts. The transcript does not have to be an official copy. FRS urges all applicants to have all of their documents ready to upload before beginning the application. Students no longer have to return any paperwork to Hardy Telecommunications.
The FRS will award scholarships nationwide. A qualified selection committee of current educators determined by the Foundation for Rural Service will select the winners; Hardy Telecommunications itself has no input in the selection process.
Hardy Assistant General Manager Derek Barr stressed that Hardy Telecommunications can’t guarantee that any local student will be selected. Hardy simply sponsors local applications and agrees to contribute $500 of the total $2,500 amount if the national FRS committee does pick a Hardy County student.
“The scholarship selection is divided into regions, and the Foundation for Rural Service does make sure that scholarships are awarded in every region. But West Virginia is still in a region with several other states. So while it’s a wonderful opportunity that we’re happy to offer, it’s also a very competitive process with the national committee literally receiving hundreds of applications,” he said.
Local applicants must be a U.S. citizen and graduating high school senior; accepted by an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school; have at least a C grade point average; express an interest in returning to a rural community following graduation; and be sponsored by Hardy Telecommunications, a member of NTCA.
Established in 1994 by NTCA – the Rural Broadband Association, the Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that promotes, educates and advocates rural telecom issues in order to sustain and enhance the quality of life within communities throughout rural America. Read more about FRS youth programs by visiting www.frs.org.